Carpe Diem
by Noitpmeder
Summary: The possible aftermath of "Into the Belly of the Beast". One-shot.


**Title: Carpe Diem  
Rating: K+  
Summary: The possible aftermath of "Into the Belly of the Beast". One-shot.  
**

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Her silhouette is outlined by the gentle moonlight that cascades across her bare skin. Its pale glow, once so beautiful, is suddenly chilling as it contrasts the dark reds, blues, and purples of the bruises still forming.

He reaches out a hand, makes as if to touch them, reaffirm that they're real - but instead, he finds himself running a smoothing hand through her hair. Her brunette tresses part under his touch and fan out across the pillow.

She mumbles incoherently, shifts, then settles into the covers, once again sleeping soundly.

"Kate."

He whispers her name, feels it roll around in his mouth, dance across his lips. He never realized how beautiful her name was - the way it sounded and the way it made his heart flutter whenever it rumbled from his vocal chords.

"_Kate." _He repeats, staving off the moment's end - drawing it out, delaying it.

Because, here, in this moment, she's safe.

He scuttles across the bed until he's pressed up against her back, as tightly as possible without being uncomfortable. He spoons her and drapes an arm across her midsection, holding her in his gentle grip.

He can protect her here.

But out there, on the other side of their bedroom door, he couldn't.

Not all the time.

He couldn't shadow her all the time, everywhere she went. Oh, he was willing to put in the work - ready to spend every moment by her side, through the good times and the bad, but he knew she wouldn't allow that - wouldn't like it.

She was too independent, too stubborn, too -

He sighed deeply, his warm breath spreading across her bare shoulder and causing the skin there to pucker into goosebumps.

_"I can handle it." _

Her self-confidence was one of the many things he loved about her. But the memory of her assurance to him was haunting, sending his gut into tight knots.

They were _engaged._

They were _getting married._

Maybe it shouldn't be such a big deal; maybe not to him. After all, he'd been married twice before, both of which ended in divorce within a few years. But this was different. _She _was different.

Katherine Beckett.

His fiancee.

His soon-to-be wife.

The future Mrs. Castle.

"Mrs. Castle." A small smile played on his lips. He liked the idea of her taking his last name - maybe not for detective work; it would make it confusing, after all, if he continued to work with her.

But at home, in private, the thought of a new term of endearment for her was exciting.

He paused, his smile dropping.

That future had almost been ripped from his grasp.

_"Promise me, Kate." He breathed, his mouth next to her ear as he nuzzled his nose in her hair, still damp from being water boarded, his arms encircling her in a tight embrace. "Promise me you'll never go undercover again. Not for narcotics."_

_He knew it was unreasonable._

_It was probably even a little bit selfish._

_After all, UC work was part of her job and he didn't know when she'd need to go undercover again or for what reason. But the irrationality and worry he'd been experiencing the past few days, ever since she'd disappeared, suddenly reared its head in full force._

_"Please." His voice cracked, almost imperceptibly. He'd almost lost her. _

_It's true they'd been in life-threatening situations before but he'd always been there. They'd always been together, protecting one another and depending on each other. But this time, she'd been alone and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty that they hadn't faced this together._

_That he hadn't been able to protect her like he had in the past._

_She inhaled - a long, shuddering breath. Then, softly, "Okay." And then she fell into his embrace completely._

The memory ended and he traced a pattern across her skin, reassuring himself that she'd made it - that she would be okay.

He blinked and his eyes drooped from weariness.

Slowly, his thoughts faded into darkness - into nothingness.

Slowly, _slowly, _they were replaced with the steady thrum of her heartbeat, the warm course of her blood rushing through her veins, the constant expansion and depression of her chest as she breathed.

All the signs that proved to him that she was real - that she was here.

That she was _alive._

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**Please review.**

**I'd like to know what you think of the story and what could possibly happen in next week's episode! :)**

**P.S. I wrote this in one night in about two hours so please excuse any grammar mistakes or weird wording or anything like that.**


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